


A Blind Lead

by Severnlight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father-Son Relationship, Father-Son Unplanned Camping Trip, Force Shenanigans (Star Wars), Gen, Luke & Vader's relationship gets an early defrosting, Pray For Piett, Skywalker Family Drama (Star Wars), Skywalker Family Feels (Star Wars), Vader had plans, but the Force never liked any of his plans anyways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28675197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severnlight/pseuds/Severnlight
Summary: The cabling over the Carbon freezing chamber on Bespin doesn’t hold Luke’s weight, so he ends up frozen after all. Lord Vader has made his own plans for his son, and only needs to transport him to the very special location where all will be revealed. Unfortunately, they never reach it, and get stuck on a father-slab of a son camping trip instead. And the Force has decided that music is the best form of communication.One of kitt’s favorite fic tropes is a Luke and Vader camping trip, so here we are!I was also inspired by kitt's prompts:◦	Please don't tell me we're lost◦	Did you think that was going to impress me?◦	Tell me about my mother / your sister.I hope you enjoy it, kitt! ❤️
Relationships: Firmus Piett & Darth Vader, Leia Organa & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader
Comments: 86
Kudos: 230
Collections: 2020 Star Wars Luke & Vader Winter Exchange





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kittandchips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittandchips/gifts).



> This story was written for the Luke & Vader Winter Fic Exchange on the [SW Creatives discord server.](https://silvereddaye.tumblr.com/post/630579669012529152/i-recently-renamed-my-discord-server-to-sw)
> 
> A huge thank you to my wonderful betas Amylion and SpellCleaver, in alphabetical order. Your help and insight were invaluable.

The boy leapt out of the carbon freezing chamber with impossible determination and grabbed one of the cables hanging from the ceiling. 

“Impressive…” Vader admitted, tracking his movements intently. “Most im—”   


The Sith Lord did not get a chance to finish his praise. In the next moment, the cable Skywalker clung to tore, and he fell back down, flailing, too shocked to manage another save. Both boy and cabling hit the bottom of the freezing chamber, and Vader, unwilling to risk another miraculous escape attempt, swiftly motioned for the sequence initiation lever. With a sharp hiss, the pervading smell of liquid carbonate filled the room, and this time, no Skywalker came flying out of the pit - only a muffled scream, then swirls of vapor. An emotion not unlike concern passed through Vader’s mind as the Rebel’s blinding force presence suddenly dimmed to a flickering spark.   


He called on Skywalker’s fallen lightsaber with the Force, and when it landed in his extended palm, he clipped it next to his own without a second glance. Then, with a thrum of his fingers on his belt, Vader waited for the instruments to indicate that the procedure was complete. 

As the silvery slab finally emerged above the chamber, he moved quickly to inspect it, as if to verify that after an endless bout of close calls and near-captures over the past three years, Skywalker was at his fingertips at last. Luckily, the piece of torn cabling had presented no problem - it was ensconced just to the right of the boy, within the integrity of the carbonite seal. Vader triple checked the slab’s vital monitor sensors to ensure that Skywalker was in a state of perfect hibernation. Satisfied with the inspection, he activated his comm. 

“Admiral Piett.” 

“Yes, Lord Vader,” came the familiar voice a short second later. The man was nothing if prompt. 

“Has my private transport been prepared?” 

“Yes, sir. It is waiting for you at platform 347.”   


“Good. Proceed with your show of strength mission to Mimban, then station the fleet in orbit to await further orders.” 

Piett confirmed, and Vader cut the connection. The Emperor had made his intentions for the boy clear, but first, Vader had provisions for some of his own plans as well. He activated the newly minted carbonite slab’s repulsorlift projectors and guided it in a confident procession through the chaos of Cloud City.   
  


* * *

  
Once he had secured his prize in the cargo hold of his enhanced G9 freighter, Vader set a course, and lifted off from Bespin, without acknowledging the newly installed Imperial flight control station. Soon, the mesmerizing linescape of hyperspace splashed over the viewport, and, now free to gratify his self-indulgence, the Sith Lord returned to the hold to examine his catch. 

A mask of pained surprise had taken a hold of the boy’s features right before he was encased. He looked just like him, it was plain to see. The oval shape of the face, the dimpled chin, the strong jaw. His own eyes stared back at him in frozen anguish. Vader adjusted the controls for optimal energy disbursement, then stepped back. 

Vader smirked underneath the guise of his mask. Situations like this one were the natural consequence of a Skywalker’s penchant for recklessness — a lesson he had learnt well himself, and one which he was prepared to impart to the boy once he had him under his care. He kept staring, all the while cognizant that his time would be better spent elsewhere. Checking on the engine efficiency of this ship for instance — it was an antique, after all, and prone to performance irregularities. Yet his son’s face held his attention, stirring memories he’d long considered buried. 

For it was her son’s face, too. 

Endless lines from memorized intel reports gathered on Skywalker ran in rapid succession before his eyes. The factory assault on Cymoon IV. The arena debacle on Nar Shaddaa. The bizarre read that had been Skywalker’s encounter with the Queen of the Screaming Citadel. The assault on Hoth. This brave and reckless son of his, who had miraculously survived birth, and been kept away from him for nineteen years, under the purported tutelage of no other than Kenobi. Vader’s anger seeped through the cargo hold like tendrils of tar. 

He would unfreeze the boy in a controlled environment. He would explain everything, and his son would then undoubtedly join him. And together… There was no-one who could stand in their way. 

Vader’s ruminations abruptly ended as the freighter’s hull shook in the grip of an invisible force. He ran back to the navigation console — the screen was overtaken by a long string of errors that he tried to scroll back, then the lights flickered, followed by a jerk that almost threw him out of his chair. The blue lines shattered before his eyes when the ship crashed out of the hyperlane violently. A blur of a green marble grew dangerously large in the viewport as the freighter kept spinning out of control. The nav computer’s report of what had gone wrong was cut short by a fatal error in the core processor, and Vader had to rely on his experience and intuition alone to wrestle the controls back online. 

What had been powerful enough to inflict such damage in a hyperspace lane? He ran a list of options through his head as he attempted to steer the ship away from the gravitational field of the planet now in front of him, but it was in vain — the engines whined against the strain of a force they no longer were able to sustain. 

Vader reached back with the Force to make sure the carbonate slab was securely attached to the wall of the cargo hold. He was unable to detect any traces of civilization, nor animal life at all on the fast approaching planet below. Then, he cursed in a long string of Huttese, and focused on delivering the latest substandard landing in his long career.   


The ship came down hard, leaving a trail of scarred earth, broken branches and a scattering of fuselage pieces, but Vader had managed to salvage the main systems as much as possible under the circumstances. The navigation array spat out strange readings that he could not reconcile with their last known position in hyperspace. He would need to inspect the engines manually, the central core was still down, and the communication system was shot. In its current condition, according to the rudimentary diagnostic program he managed to bring online, it would be days before he could make the necessary repairs to the ship, and that was assuming that any damage to the engines was superficial. 

At least Skywalker’s hibernation remained unaffected, as the carbonite slab was equipped with its own power cells. 

Vader extended the ramp and spent the next few hours making an inventory of all external visible damage to the ship. The breathable atmosphere barely made up for this planet’s set of two suns, now hovering close to each other near the horizon in some kind of targeted cameo that he found distinctly unpleasant. Against all odds, he was stranded here with a wreck of a ship and a son encased in carbonate.

He glared at them briefly, just as the smaller star began to disappear behind the tree tops, then returned to his work, trying to patch up the central core. The larger sun soon followed the first and left him in the gloom of a purple twilight. 

He rigged one of the ship’s landing lights to provide portable illumination, and spent the next thirty-six standard hours inventing new methods of creative engineering to make the ship flight-worthy. The only problem left was puzzling out how to replenish the lost charge of the central core. And, he realized in a tired haze, he had the solution right in front of him. 

The carbonite slab required significant power to operate. If he were to free Skywalker, he could use its power cells for the central core. But he ought to make provisions for his son’s survival, first. At a minimum, he needed to make sure that this planet had a source of water nearby. 

Another double sunset marked the passage of time, and Vader decided to take some rest, then head out in search of water, and possibly something edible for Skywalker, in the morning. 

He did not sleep well that night. Visions of a woman with a worn face disturbed his peace. She was trying to reach him from a place far away. Trying to tell him something. Words he could not properly hear, arriving jumbled and twisted to his ears in a language he seemed to have forgotten. 

Vader woke up with a start and looked around the ship, wary. He had chosen to lean his back against the wall of the cargo hold, near Skywalker, who remained a prisoner of his slab. No intruders. Nothing of concern in the Force. 

The oppressive silence was getting to him, no doubt. 

No matter. Soon, the repairs would be complete, and they would be off. Vader thought of releasing the boy immediately but dismissed the idea. Yet he could not bring himself to let him out of his sight either, so he unfastened the braces securing the slab to the wall, and activated the repulsors. He steered Skywalker ahead, down the extended ramp of the ship, and into the forest. 

Vader had to clear some growth on the path with his lightsaber as they made their way through the thicket. No sound of birds, nor animal life stirred around them. No sound at all except the rustle of leaves with the wind. And the Force — it had gone quiet too: alive and strong all around, but hushed, like a frozen pond. The suns leaned close to the horizon hours after, still with no sign of water in sight. 

He paused and tried to listen to the unnatural silence. Something stirred, deep and low in the fabric of life on this world, and he suddenly understood in which direction to turn. And soon enough, the shallow banks of a sweet-water lake spread before him, folded in the depths of a narrow valley. 

Satisfied, Vader left Skywalker by the side of a cliff overlooking the lake, and descended down to fill his canister with water. When he climbed back up, he paused to take note of the silvery slab, reflecting sparks of crimson and purple, just like the shimmering surface of the lake below. 

He lifted a hand and skimmed the side of his son’s face. 

“Soon,” he thought, then turned to observe the last rays of the second sun dissolving behind the mountain range. For one day not too far off, after twenty-two long and lonely years, he and his loyal son would finally be watching the sunset on Coruscant, the boy in black, with the Imperial cog embroidered on his tunic. Shortly after Palpatine’s last sunrise. 

With the last rays of sunlight fading, Vader snapped out of his daydream and activated the repulsors to tilt the slab back down. His eyes returned to rest on his son’s anguished face. Such an expression, he realized with a sudden pang, did not become him. 

When he reached the hill near the location of their forced landing, Vader paused and stared at the next surprise fate had prepared for him on this trip. The ship was gone, and mysterious imprints in the Force lurked about the scene, all clandestine and silent as a tomb. 

Vader climbed the hill in several large steps. The indentations from the landing gear were still there, and so was the trail of devastation left behind from their landing. He looked around in all directions, as far as he could see, switching between each of his vision enhancement filters. No trace of metal. No energy signatures. It appeared as if the ship had simply vanished into thin air. 

The Sith Lord straightened his tense shoulders and imagined tearing whoever had done this into ribbons. 

With nightfall fast approaching, his priority shifted to finding shelter. He recalled spotting a cliff-side by the lake with what had appeared like a cave opening, so he turned Luke’s slab around, and headed back through the cleared path they had come from. The temperature was dropping fast, and the eerie silence persisted. 

Fortunately, he made good time on the already cleared path, and reached the cave with enough remaining daylight to secure Luke inside. At least the cave was dry inside, and the entrance wide enough to provide good vantage point for anything that might approach it. 

Vader went through a somewhat familiar analysis of what parts of his suit could be repurposed to expand the range of his comm device. He was evaluating his third option when his eyes came to rest on the piece of cabling frozen together with Skywalker. 

He recognized with certainty that the cable was made of the type of alloy needed to rig his personal comm system for deep-space range without sacrificing much else. 

This was not the environment he had planned to release his son into, but there were very few other choices left. Vader got up, approached the slab, and examined his son’s features up close again. 

“I truly hope I don’t come to regret this, boy,” he stated, then pressed the control switch to engage the carbonite release cycle. The hiss of the activated mechanism provided some relief from the oppressive silence, and Vader watched with no small signs of impatience as the last pieces of carbonite melted away from the boy’s face. 

Skywalker’s Force presence flooded the cave and extended far and wide over the lake past Vader’s senses, like a flash from a supernova. The boy gasped for air as gravity caught up with his limp body, freed from its prison in a precariously unbalanced position. With the Rebel about to collapse, Vader stepped forward swiftly, grabbed his arms to steady him, then lowered him slowly to the ground. He positioned his back against the cave wall for support, and stepped back. 

The youth tried to get his bearings, looking around the cave with wide eyes, then brought a trembling hand in front of his face, his features twisting in confusion. His other hand extended aimlessly for support, and stumbled on Vader’s arm, gripping his sleeve.   
  
“I can’t see…” Skywalker’s voice held more disbelief than panic, but as reality slowly sank in, his shaky grip tightened. He had obviously not registered the rhythmic hiss of the respirator yet. 

“You are suffering from hibernation sickness. Your vision loss is temporary.” Vader’s deep baritone echoed in the cave. Skywalker withdrew his hand as if burned. 

“Vader.” He grimaced and tried to scramble back, away from the voice, but only found the hard cave wall pressed against his back. Icy dread leeched towards him from the darkness that surrounded him, and settled uncomfortably in his chest.

“Expecting someone else, Skywalker?” 

Luke swallowed hard, then moved to wrap his trembling hands around his body. A small part of his mind was trying to remain rational, and prepare him for the worst, while another part was doing its best to run wild visions of what exactly that would entail at Vader’s hands. He cleared his voice and took great care to keep it steady. 

“Where am I?” 

“A question I cannot answer,” Vader offered, dispassionately. “But you are free of the carbonite, for now.” 

Luke strained to discern anything in the darkness that enveloped him, his face drawn and pale. His hand suddenly reached for his lightsaber, as if expecting to find it still clipped to his belt. 

“Do you believe you are in any position to resume our duel now, boy?” 

The Rebel sucked in a breath, then looked around, as if hoping for invisible support to materialize out of thin air, or to awaken from a nightmare. When none of these scenarios played out, he tried to get back on his feet, and hit his head on the frame of the carbonite slab still looming next to him. Vader suddenly reached a hand to steady him. 

“Let go.” The boy’s voice shook. 

“Accept offered help when you need it, boy.”

“Not from you.” 

Vader’s grip tightened on his arm, and he hissed:   
  
“Sit. Down.” 

Almost automatically, in response to the cold authority of Vader’s voice, Luke slumped back. His entire body was rigid and tense, yet he could not maintain the simplest of limb movements without shaking. At least he could track Vader’s whereabouts by the sound of the respirator. Luke knew that he’d been hopelessly outmatched in their “duel” on Bespin – he'd found out that sobering truth mere seconds after first crossing blades with him. And now, he was blind, at his father’s murderer’s mercy. He shrank back against the wall and kept his silence.    
  
Vader had already disassembled the power cell from the cabling, added a few parts from the slab casing itself to his trove, then proceeded to tinker with the short-range comm on his wrist. 

“What?” Vader rumbled, turning his attention back to Skywalker after a minute. “No further questions for me?” 

“My friends.” Luke hesitated, “What did you do to them?” 

“Your friends. The reason for your heroic but tragic rescue attempt.” 

Luke flinched. 

“Solo is en route to Tatooine, looking quite like the way you did just a few minutes ago, as an ornamental gift to Jabba the Hutt. Organa and the Wookiee are in my custody, and what happens to them will depend largely on your cooperation.” 

The Rebel took the news in grim silence. 

“But I would worry more about yourself than your friends, Skywalker. We are stuck in the middle of nowhere with very limited supplies.”   


Luke visibly perked up at this splash of information. He straightened his shoulders and projected more bravado in his voice than he felt. 

“I am not worried. And whatever you are planning to do with me, you can just get on with it already.”

“I will reveal my plans for you at a more opportune time. For now, I simply expect you to stay put while I fix our means of communication to get us out of here.” 

“Where, exactly, is ‘here’?” 

“By my estimation, we are in quadrant 2-A-5 of the Juves sector.”

“A rather loose guesstimate,” Luke’s dark mirth did not go unnoticed, but Vader chose to ignore it. “I take it this sector was not your planned destination.”   
  
“Obviously.”

The fact that something had gone wrong with Vader’s original plan, whatever it had been, gave Luke a spark of confidence. 

“Impressive,” he raised an eyebrow and did not conceal his mocking tone, “Most impressive.” 

Vader whirled around to face the Rebel, even if he couldn’t appreciate the latent threat in that gesture.   
  
“You will find that I, too, am full of surprises, Skywalker. Now mind your attitude, unless you wish to experience one of the more unpleasant varieties.” 

Luke quieted for a bit after that, but the next question kept gnawing on his mind, and once Vader’s respirator had indicated no movement or change of temper for some time, the youth decided to risk posing it. 

“Did you pick up my lightsaber?”   


Vader looked up from his handiwork.   
  
“You mean, your father’s lightsaber?”   
  
“Yes!” Luke spat out indignantly. 

“You seem to take great interest in your father’s affairs.” 

“I do!” Luke exclaimed, proudly, but hatred seeped into his voice next. “Thanks to you, that lightsaber is all I have left of him.” 

“I remember you throwing the same accusation at me on Cymoon I, boy,” Vader snapped, “I can only guess who told you that lie.” He paused, for a moment, as if he’d said everything he meant to say, but then changed his mind and added with steel finality: “I did not kill your father.” 

For all that he could not yet see him, Luke stared at him blankly. 

“You… What?” 

The youth opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. The Force rang with the truth in Vader’s words, but a larger part of the event he had just mentioned remained obscured. 

The Sith Lord scoffed. “All will be revealed to you in due time. Now let me work.” 

“No!” Luke shook his head, “You can’t just leave things here! How did you know my father?”   


Vader lifted his head from his task and sighed. He unclasped both lightsabers from his belt, and approached the Rebel. 

“Give me your hands.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I wish to return your lightsaber to you. And, something else to keep you occupied.” 

Luke stared at him with his unseeing eyes, but, unable to detect any tangible threat in the Force, slowly extended his open palms. 

Vader pulled out the power cell from each lightsaber before placing it in Luke’s hand, then stepped back. Luke slowly closed his grip around the weapons and looked up at him in surprise. 

“I have disabled both emitters. If you can guess which saber belongs to your father… You get to keep it.” 

Luke ran his thumbs along the ridges on each hilt. Then, he examined the handles individually, and weighed them in his hands. He ran fingers over the emitters, activation modules, blade adjustment buttons, ring tuning flange…

“They are of the same design…” he muttered. 

“Indeed,” Vader confirmed, as he completed the last bit of cross-wiring for the communicator. 

“The second lightsaber… is it yours?” Luke sensed the Force standing to attention like a great wave, ready to swallow him whole with the incoming answer. 

“Yes.” 

A sudden chill settled around Luke’s shoulders like a wet cloud. Why was the Force behaving so strangely? What was he missing here? He had seen Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, and it had looked nothing like his father’s. Perhaps there were just a few proven designs for sabers in the Galaxy that beings often relied on when building their own. But then… why would Vader toy with him with this silly game? His heart suddenly beat faster, and he had to force himself to keep his teeth from chattering.    
  
“Just what are you trying to show me, Vader?” 

“Only that you do not yet possess the foresight to see the truth, but you have been told many lies.” 

While Luke was still trying to process this cryptic statement, Vader stood up and took off his cloak. He approached the rebel, and without a warning, pulled him away from the wall to wrap it around his shivering form. 

“What are you doing?” the boy croaked, and almost dropped the lightsabers. 

“You are freezing. Carbonite sickness is not to be taken lightly, young one. You should rest. With some luck, your eyesight will begin improving by tomorrow. I still have work to do, and you talk too much.” 

Luke overcame his shock.   


“I don’t feel like resting!” he protested, but Vader passed a gloved hand over his forehead, and the boy sank slowly against the wall, his eyes struggling to remain open but giving in at the end. 

Vader ensured his son was in a comfortable position, then stared at him wrapped in his cloak for a long while. He carefully picked up his lightsaber and restored its power cell. And Anakin’s old lightsaber - he clipped it back to Skywalker’s belt. 

Then, he returned to completing his task with the communicator. He thought he heard something, a familiar melody droning over the still waters of the lake. It reminded him of a particular night at the Coruscant Opera - a night filled with worry and despair over the fate of two lives, and many dubious promises, too. 

Vader sprang up and ventured outside, to check for the source of the infernal sound. As soon as he laid eyes upon the lake, the droning ceased. Was the Force playing games with him now? 

He returned to the cave, weary. While the first life from that eventful night remained lost, the second one flickered bright and strong right in front of him, even as the threat of that melody, now stuck in his head, continued to disturb him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stumbled across this song while writing, and it seemed to capture the mood in the chapter well: 😁  
> [Soggy Swamp from the Minecraft Dungeons soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/track/7h5TSBktXFZ93XxIU4OzEc?si=2aFiUuM9SdOdJGEaLWph8g)


	2. Part II

By the early hours of the morning, Vader had finished enhancing the communicator. Throughout the night, he’d kept an eye on Skywalker, bundled up asleep in the corner, committing every line of his son’s peaceful expression to memory. It was a sight he’d been deprived of witnessing before, and a fragile one too, because he knew it would morph into anxiety the moment the boy opened his eyes again.

Even covered under the cloak, his son still shivered occasionally — a telltale sign of nervous system impairment. Vader reiterated to himself more than once that the side-effects of carbonite sickness were temporary, and all symptoms would pass within days. The boy just needed some rest and sustenance. He added finding food as an immediate priority to his list, then headed out, communicator in hand. If he was quick about it, he could return before Skywalker awoke.

He climbed a rocky trail nearby, up the hill from the cave. Still and mysterious, the inky depths of the lake beneath him ensnared him with their expectant silence, but when he glared back, the painfully familiar chords of that cursed opera returned to haunt his mind like an intrusive gift. He ground his teeth and kept climbing. 

Vader reached the hilltop and looked around. Behind him, in the direction of the lost ship, extended the canopy of a deciduous forest — as far as the eyes could see — in countless variations of tree heights and shades of green. Ahead was the lake, backed by a steep mountain range. At least it provided easy access to water. 

Since Vader did not wish to reveal his current off-course expedition to the entire Galaxy, and adequate encryption for his rigged long-range communicator was impossible with the parts he’d salvaged, he sent out a generic distress signal on all standard Imperial frequencies. Within that, he encoded a classified wave pattern. If any Death Squadron ship was in range to receive the transmission, it would trigger a private alert just for Piett’s eyes on the Executor. Vader hoped that his Admiral, after decoding the location from his message, would possess enough sense to get a nondescript ship and come alone. 

* * *

Luke’s mind slowly stirred from the shelter of sleep. He opened his eyes, and after a few moments of panic in the darkness, he remembered his current predicament. 

His surroundings smelled like packed dirt and fresh ozone. The ground felt uneven under his hands, and behind him, judging by the soreness in his back, was a rock wall. At least, as a notable improvement from the day before, he could distinguish a blurry spot of light in the darkness after his eyes adjusted. He assumed that to be the entrance of… the cave?... Vader had unfrozen him into.

Vader… A familiar sense of dread reached out with its tentacles from the enveloping darkness to grip Luke’s heart, but as he tried to pinpoint his captor’s overwhelming icy presence, he realized that while it still loomed heavy in the Force, he could not hear the respirator nearby. 

The way Vader had simply waved him off to sleep… hours ago?… He hated feeling so powerless. 

Luke shrugged off that unwanted cloak, with great unease, then noticed the lightsaber clipped to his belt. He took it in its hands (which, he was pleased to notice, had stopped shaking), and — perhaps he would be able to tell blue from red light by now — he pointed it away and pressed the ignition button. 

Predictably, nothing. 

Vader had kept the power module, but such modules were easily replaceable.

Luke took a breath and centered himself, as Master Yoda had taught him, to evaluate his circumstances. He was almost blind, but he had a chance at escape, one he shouldn’t let slip by. Anything was better than remaining here, as Vader’s prisoner, helpless for who knows how long and at his mercy. Perhaps if he were to find shelter and just wait another day, his vision would return enough for him to survive on his own until he could figure out how to call for help.

Luke clipped the lightsaber back to his belt, and extended his hands forward, trying to get a feel for his surroundings. He slowly got up to his knees, then, with one hand on the wall of the … cave?, he stood up. 

Extending both hands, he carefully approached the bright blur ahead. All he needed to do was leave this place, then find a hiding spot close by. How he would accomplish the latter part was a mystery, but even relying on sheer luck alone was better than willfully remaining in Vader’s hands. So, one small step after another, Luke made his way out of the dark and into the promise of the light.

The ground outside appeared flat and solid under his feet. He breathed the crisp air, and felt warm sunlight on his face. 

Then, he sensed a presence, materializing somewhere ahead in that bright spot. A melody carried over with the wind, streaming gently into Luke’s mind. He stood breathless for a few moments, stunned by its beauty. As if hearing an encouragement in that voice, he chose to follow it — surely, it was a sign from the Force, and any being who sang like an angel in the light would not mean him harm. 

* * *

On his descent back towards the cave, a pang of pain shot through Vader’s chest, his mind suddenly blinded by a flash of terror. It was Skywalker — he was certain of it. He caged his own panic, then ran down the rocky path in the direction of his son’s Force signature as fast as he could manage.

_“Luke!”_ he tried to reach out to him with the Force, but there was no bond yet between them, _“Hold on, Luke!”_

A thin sliver of a connection snapped between his own mind and his son’s, but no words came back on the bond — just a window into a dark pit of anguish. 

_“Luke!”_ Vader tried again, then spotted a blond head surfacing in the lake mere seconds later — his son was thrashing about, clearly unable to swim. Then just as suddenly, he disappeared beneath the surface. 

Vader lifted a hand and pulled him up with great force, then deposited him on the cliff outside of the cave as gently as he could. The youth collapsed on the ground, choking for breath. Vader was next to him another few heartbeats later. He quickly turned him on his side, and held him in this position until the boy had coughed up enough water to be able to regain his breath. When he was out of immediate danger, Vader held his shoulder in a vice-like grip, and growled: “What were you thinking?” 

Skywalker had evidently recovered enough to attempt to move away from his grip, but Vader did not release his hold. 

“I… I don’t want to be your prisoner,” the youth sputtered. 

“So you casually risk death instead?” Vader’s voice rose sharply.

The boy flinched, then rallied back: “Better than remaining at your mercy!” 

“Clearly, it was not!” 

Skywalker looked around with unseeing eyes, then fell into another coughing bout. Vader took this moment to drive his point home further: “You must recognize that I am your only chance of survival here, Skywalker.” 

The youth ran fingers through his hair, defeated, water still dripping from him like from a half-drowned borrat.

“I am fine now. You can let go.” And when Vader did not react, he pleaded: “I would like to sit up.” 

Vader hesitated, then helped Skywalker into his desired position. He kept a hand on his shoulder for support. The boy coughed again, then added in a subdued voice: “Why do you care so much about my survival anyways?”

Vader took his time to respond. “Why do you think?” 

Luke wiped the water from his dripping face, and shrugged. “To deliver me in one piece to Imperial Center for a very special public execution? I have no idea!” 

Vader smirked. 

“You have no idea. Indeed.”

“To think that I almost ruined your grand plans…” Skywalker scoffed, but then his attention suddenly shifted to a point over the lake, almost as if he was… searching for something. Vader sensed the change and followed the direction of his gaze. 

The realization that the Mon Calamari opera was still playing in his mind suddenly jabbed at him, sharply. 

“Did you hear something, young one?” 

The Rebel balked at the address, but returned his attention to the lake. “Yes… no. You wouldn’t believe me.” 

“Try me.” 

Skywalker shook his head hesitantly. 

“I thought… I heard someone singing when I walked out of… wherever I was. A beautiful voice, and the song sounded familiar… “

“A song?” Vader quipped, “With words you could understand?” 

Skywalker nodded. “She sang about a garden by the lake, and a child playing there, tossing handfuls of bluecorn to a peko-peko*.” 

Vader’s hand suddenly dropped from his shoulder.

“To a what?” 

“I think it is a reptavian of some kind. A blue one. I saw… a vision of it, as she was singing.” 

Vader kept his silence, as Skywalker took a deep breath. “Are auditory hallucinations another symptom of carbonite sickness?”

“Not usually, no.” Vader responded evenly. “But the Force… It is behaving strangely on this planet. You must sense it too. We have to remain vigilant.”

The Rebel sighed, and after some hesitation, muttered: “I heard another voice in my head, when I was drowning. Telling me to hold on.” He paused, an unwelcome feeling settling in his chest. “Was it you?” 

Vader seemed to take his time with this question, and just when Luke thought that he would ignore it, he uttered a simple: “Yes.” 

Luke’s thoughts raced in all directions, suddenly very afraid about being so open to Vader’s… telepathy?, and there was very little comfort to be had in the surrounding darkness. “How?” 

“Through the Force, bonds can be established between beings. On occasion.” 

“On what occasion?” 

Vader’s reluctance to answer suddenly became known on that new “bond”, and Luke flinched. Was this sharing of thoughts and feelings to become the new normal now? The thought was deeply unsettling.

“All will be revealed to you in due time, child.” Vader rumbled. “I have sent a distress signal with our position. With some luck, help will arrive soon. Now, can you take my arm and walk? I want to retrieve my cloak. Unless of course, it is at the bottom of that lake.” 

“It is where you last left it.” 

“I last left it around your shoulders.” 

Luke’s eyes wandered around, trying to avoid processing the uncomfortable note of familiarity in Vader’s voice. When he looked up to his mask for a clever retort, no doubt, Vader answered his true unspoken question: “I gave it to you because I do not want to risk a simple cold diminishing your lung capacity right before your execution.” 

Luke detected the sarcasm in his voice and scoffed. He slowly got up, shaky on his feet, but Vader steadied him. The gesture left his mind reeling. 

Vader tapped the side of his shoulder next and offered his arm, placing Luke’s hand over it. Cold and tired, Luke did not protest, and followed him back to the cave. Vader picked up his cloak and clasped it back around his shoulders. 

“We need to find some food next. Since I do not trust you enough to leave you here again by yourself, you will follow me.” 

“Splendid.”

Vader tapped the side of his shoulder again. Luke hesitated, but reached out until he found Vader’s extended arm. Once they were out of the cave, the boy gasped, and turned his head sharply towards a point over the water. 

“Wait… There it is again… Do you hear it?” 

Vader halted sharply in the middle of the path, and Skywalker almost slammed into him. The shimmering form of a woman, dressed richly in shades of blue, appeared in the distance like a mirage, hovering tall over the other side of the lake. Her long hair was strung with white star-shaped flowers, and her song carried over the water — an angel singing of comfort to the condemned. 

“Padmé...” Vader choked out. 

Luke turned his head towards him. 

“Padmé?” he repeated, then quieted to listen to the enchanting voice, until his curiosity got the best of him. “Do you see the being singing?” 

Vader’s respirator had paced up considerably. Luke turned to him sharply as he detected a surge in the Force. 

“Who is she?” he demanded. “What do you see, Vader?” 

Vader finally pulled away from the vision to direct his attention back to Skywalker. His voice went low and solemn. “You do not know your mother’s name?” 

Luke let go of his arm as if it had caught fire. “What did you say?”

Vader flinched as Padmé’s song dissipated as soon as Skywalker pulled his hand away, replaced swiftly by that horrendous opera. He tried to breathe deeply for a few cycles of the respirator, and compose himself. 

“Your mother. The one you hear singing.” 

Luke shook his head and stepped back. 

“My mother is dead.” 

“I know.” 

“Then how…?” 

“We will find out.” 

A heavy truth loomed between them, on that newly strung thread of a bond. The youth braced himself, and asked, “We...?” 

When Vader did not respond, he added: “Just how do you know my mother?” 

“Walk with me, Luke.” Vader’s voice had taken on a pensive, almost reverent note. “Hold my arm, and hold your questions.” 

The Rebel started at the use of his first name, but given the weight of what he sensed next, he chose to ignore it. “You will lead me to her?” 

“Yes.” 

“Why are you doing this?” the boy uttered, after a shock of silence. 

“I must investigate this phenomenon in the Force for myself.” — but Luke sensed that this was not the entire truth — “You will simply tag along. That is all.” 

For the moment, Luke refused to dwell on the “how” of Vader knowing his mother. It made some sense, after all. If he had known his father… he’d probably seen his mother, too. He had so many questions to ask, but he held back. Perhaps best to wait for this... vision of his mother to shed light on everything.

“Then let’s go.” 

He returned his hand on Vader’s arm, and noticed that Vader’s mind appeared carelessly unguarded. As he touched the armored man, relief flooded over that newly formed bond between them, as if Vader was spared from some kind of hurt. 

“What is it? Are you in pain?” 

“No,” Vader bit out, “But I am hearing a different melody. It is… distracting.” 

They walked like this for another hour or so, Vader stopping from time to time to collect some berries unknown to Luke that passed his edibility criteria, and he found some nuts as well. Yet whenever Luke pulled his hand away, he felt pain flare up on the bond, just for a moment, and then Vader closed himself off. It was most peculiar. The Force was behaving strangely, and Vader’s shields were wearing thinner the closer they got to the other side of the lake.

In these brief moments, Luke couldn’t help getting a sense of the Sith Lord’s mindscape, too. Loss, regret, longing. And something else, too. Something the Sith Lord was trying to hide. 

Luke couldn’t help but peek through the cracks in Vader’s mental shields, and his shock rippled through the Force as he realized just what secret his father’s enemy held onto. 

Luke pulled away his hand, sharply, and as Vader’s pain at the loss of contact leaked briefly on the bond again, Luke’s outburst cut the tension between them like a sword: “You… you have feelings for her!” 

Vader’s hand lifted up towards his helmet, as if he was hoping to alleviate a headache. Unable to accomplish its purpose, it fell back down, limply. “Cease your probing,” he tried, but Luke wouldn’t have any of it. 

His voice was laden with accusation, as he prepared for the worst answer. “Admit it!” 

Vader paused, struggling to shield his thoughts and control whatever was plaguing him, then took a deep breath. 

“My love for her is not something I have to admit to, boy. I proclaim it!” 

Luke stared at him blankly. He felt Vader’s pain again, raw and sharp and drowned in regret. He braced himself for what other secrets this man held.

“Were you my father’s rival?” 

“What!?” Vader growled.

“For her affection!” Luke cried out. 

“Calm your imagination before you hurt yourself, son.” 

“Don’t call me that!” Luke spat, a close realization hitting him next. He suddenly saw the lightsaber comparison exercise in a new light. It all made sense now. Both his father and Vader were Obi-Wan’s apprentices. And their feud had formed around Luke’s mother… And if Jedi were not allowed to form attachments… 

What if Vader had been his mother’s partner first, before she left him for Anakin? What if — Luke shuddered — what if Vader was his real father? He shook his head and quickly dismissed the absurd idea. Surely, Vader would have told him by now, and gloated at the fact. Besides, several beings had told him that he looked just like his father, Anakin. 

He sensed Vader’s attention zoomed in on him like that of a scientist observing his prized lab experiment, and sighed. He needed to check his thoughts and stop amusing this man. If Luke could read some of his emotions, he was certain the same applied to Vader reading his as well. 

“Let’s just keep going.” 

“I am waiting for you,” Vader’s tone was perfectly even, but his entire posture remained stiff. 

Luke extended his hand again, and placed it on Vader’s arm. He could feel his tension dissipate in the Force, as if he had just stopped grinding his teeth. Whatever was going on with the Sith Lord, that caused him to be so affected by Luke’s touch, was something Luke still needed to ponder, but he was too distracted by other thoughts to worry about it. 

“Will you tell me something about my mother?” he tried. 

Now in better possession of his faculties, Vader responded with his usual icy undercurrent. 

“It is a crime that you have apparently grown up in ignorance of her,” he offered, and Luke had to agree. 

“My aunt and uncle said they may have met her once… But that was all.” 

“And Kenobi told you nothing?” 

“It’s not like I had any time for long conversations with him, Vader — you killed him shortly after I met him!” 

“And I am glad for it.” Vader growled, but before Luke could cry a protest, he continued in an entirely different tone: “Your mother, Padmé Naberrie, was the youngest elected Queen of Naboo. When her term expired, she continued her public service as a Senator - she represented the Chommel sector in the Galactic Senate. She was... a true hero and an inspiration to many. Her royal name was Amidala.” 

Luke listened eagerly and committed every single detail to memory. 

“Queen Amidala…? This is… Leia’s personal hero. I… I had no idea…” 

Overwhelmed by the revelation of his mother’s identity, he walked in silence for a while, noting that Vader’s breathing was becoming more labored as they progressed. 

The next question Luke found difficult to ask. “What happened to her?” 

“I do not know, exactly” Vader ground out. “It appears that she passed away shortly after your birth.” 

The Sith Lord stumbled over a branch in the path, and Luke almost went crashing down over him. The pain flared up over their bond. 

“Your migraine is getting worse, isn’t it?”

“I do not have a migraine!” Vader whirled on his feet, clearly irritated that Luke had noticed his predicament. “Keep walking.” 

Luke was left to ponder the stubborn determination of this man, and the bizarre common goal they shared at this moment. As the day progressed, his vision kept improving steadily, but he held that secret to himself — he wanted to use it to his advantage when another escape opportunity presented itself. 

Vader kept walking relentlessly, while his shields became more and more brittle, allowing Luke a view into random shards of memories — Vader was apparently trying to center himself by imagining a lake, and a meadow, and an old manor with steps of stone… And his mother… she was there too, flickering in and out of the scenes. Luke wondered if Vader realized that these images were leaking freely over their bond. 

And he saw the way his mother looked at Vader with her large, beautiful eyes, and a knowing smile — a very personal smile, the kind one only shares with… And then Luke realized that these were no mere images, but memories.

His terror returned in full swing. 

“Who did she choose in the end?” his voice betrayed his panic, but Luke past caring. 

When Vader ignored him, he pulled his hand away and stopped. 

“I must know, Vader…” Luke bit the inside of his cheek, and balled his other hand into a fist until the nails sank painfully into his skin. He hoped that the Sith understood his true meaning. Luke could see enough to make out that Vader turned to face him. His breathing was harsh, and his voice lashed out even more so.

“She chose _him_. Skywalker,” Vader ground out at last, and Luke’s sigh of relief did not go unnoticed. Vader recoiled, his thoughts pulling back in that cold, veiled space where Luke couldn’t reach. 

“Thank you…” Luke muttered, his gratitude extending silently to all known deities in the Universe. “For telling me about her, too.” 

He noticed Vader’s pain flaring up without his touch again. The Sith Lord had not uttered a word or shed a thought about it, so Luke decided to risk the question. 

“Are you in pain when I pull my hand away?” 

“I am fine!” Vader barked, but then… Lowered his mask and conceded: “Approaching the source makes that oppressive sound worse…” 

“But you hear my mother’s singing instead sometimes?” 

“Yes,” Vader’s shoulders stiffened. “Your connection to her… seems to help.” Luke placed his hand back on his arm, and he exhaled in relief, trying to hide it all the same. 

“I see.” Skywalker pondered for a moment, then ventured: “Keep leading the way, then.”

Vader continued forward, deep in thought. The boy had caught onto his predicament. But instead of using it to his own advantage, he was helping him. Perhaps he was a fool to continue like this, getting weaker in front of his son with every step, but he would gladly take any pain this cursed planet had to offer for a chance to... he banished the thought and kept walking. 

They just had to survive long enough for Piett to finally show up and pick them up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *From Wookieepedia: "Peko-peko were a type of flying creatures that could be found in the swamps of the planet Naboo. They had blue plumage, a long tail, clawed wings, and a prominent beak. [...] During the Clone Wars a picture depicting Queen Padmé Amidala carrying a peko-peko was located in the Theed Royal Palace."


	3. Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue party joins our reluctant campers, and interesting times, just in the sense of that old saying, are to be had by all.

As twilight gave way to night, Luke and Vader had finally made their way to the other side, and approached a clearing in the forest, where a narrow brook joined its fast-running waters with the lake. White stepping stones appeared on their path, clearly hewn by intelligent life, but Vader still did not sense any life forms around.

They continued on the path up the brook, until a meadow spread itself before them, covered in white wildflowers, backed by a vertical cliff face. A narrow waterfall sprang from the vast heights above, and trickled down to a clear pond, marked by a semi-circle of lodestone megaliths. In the middle of the pond loomed a gnarled tree, its weeping bioluminescent branches kissing the still waters. 

As Luke and Vader stepped close, a tall diaphanous figure clad in white silk emerged from thin air, and blocked Vader’s path. Her hair flowed around her like seafoam, weightless in the breeze.

“I am the Guardian of this Soul Tree,” she spoke in a clear voice that resonated with the megaliths in a deep hum, “Your loved one has summoned you to this temple.”

She held Luke firmly in her gaze, as if her words were meant only for him. He opened his mouth to respond, but the creature lifted a finger in a warning. Her glowing eyes pierced Luke’s heart, as if laden with dangerous truths. “From here on, you shall proceed on your separate ways, and in silence.” 

Luke sensed Vader’s distress in the Force, but as quickly it had appeared, it vanished. His arm muscles tensed under Luke’s touch, as if he was preparing for the worst. 

“No,” Luke whispered, and Vader turned to him slowly, “I mean no disrespect, but we should go on together. We are here for the same person.” 

The Guardian’s eyes suddenly turned yellow. 

“The Sith is not supposed to be here. He hears another call, Luke Skywalker. An entirely different temple awaits him.” 

After everything Luke had witnessed on this world already, asking the creature how she knew his name seemed pointless. 

“He hears what I hear,” the youth responded instead, firmly. Vader’s shock echoed through their bond, but he kept silent. “Please, let us pass together.” 

“You… you wish to stand for him?” the Guardian asked, doubt lacing her every syllable. 

Luke did not miss the silent plea stretched on the Force from Vader, subconscious or not — he could tell the Sith Lord did not want to be turned away, and the pain consuming him had left him without strength to fight on his own. 

“Yes. He guided me here. We are in this together.” 

The Guardian’s stern look settled on Vader. The silence between them reigned for many heartbeats, then she spoke: “The Chosen One has failed on his path.” Her words took Vader by surprise, and he shuddered under Luke’s hand. “Whether he may serve as a light on the difficult path of others,” she continued after a long pause, “remains yet to be seen.” 

Then, she turned to Luke: “If you let go of him within these hallowed grounds, he will be judged by both the Dark Side and the Light. He will likely perish.” 

Luke looked up to Vader in a silent question, and the Sith Lord muttered: “I accept.” 

The Guardian stepped aside in a blur of light, and extended her arm to point to the distant glow of the Soul Tree. “So be it.” 

They continued on the path, and by the time they had made it halfway to the tree, Vader’s breathing had become raspy, his gait strained and uneven. If Luke were to let go of him here… Well, that was one way to get rid of Darth Vader no-one in High Command had ever considered. Luke wondered if they would judge him harshly for not taking the opportunity.

He gripped Vader’s arm tighter and continued walking. No matter what crimes the man had committed, Luke would not let him die like this, and not while Vader apparently trusted him. The tall man stopped, suddenly, and turned to him with a tone the Rebel had never heard from him before. 

“Before we go any further…” the dark figure hesitated, then placed his own gloved hand over Luke’s, “I know that your vision has returned enough so you can continue on your own from here, and in case I do not make it out… You must know the truth.” 

Luke’s eyes widened, but before he was able to ask “what truth”, Vader shared another vision, crystal clear through their bond. His mother — Padmé — standing on a veranda by that same deep blue lake Luke had seen before in Vader’s mind. He stilled and held his breath, eagerly taking in his mother’s detailed appearance from Vader’s memory. And then she turned around, startled at hearing his footsteps… that private smile spreading on her face again, as she ran to greet him with extended arms: “ _Anakin!_ ” 

Her cheerful voice passed like a healing breeze through Luke’s mind, then Vader’s shields slammed up and the vision was gone. 

Luke recoiled and pulled his hand away from Vader, his thoughts silent and screaming and raw all at once. 

“What?!” He stared at the dark figure, numbly. “You…!” 

Vader groaned as the phantom pain overtook him without Luke’s protection, then lost his balance and collapsed to his knees.

“This is… not how I had planned to tell you,” he choked out, then doubled over as another wave of agony washed over him.

“No,” Luke whispered, stepping back, hot tears streaming down his face. His mind reeled, dumbstruck, barely able to register that one of the most dangerous, powerful beings in the Galaxy was curled in a fetal position before him. Darth Vader… his dreaded arch-enemy… and his father. The man had now truly taken everything from Luke. He’d invaded his most precious shrine and shattered Anakin Skywalker’s image into dark, blood-stained pieces…

Part of Luke realized with calculating clarity that he could just let Vader die, right here and now, together with that terrible secret. Fulfill Master Yoda and Ben’s grand design. Make the Galaxy shine just a bit brighter.

“Listen to me, Luke,” Vader continued, struggling to speak between pained breaths, “I understand why you are doing this... But even without me, you must complete your training… If Admiral Piett comes… reveal your identity to him, and ask for protection… Give him my code cylinder… my last orders… He will set you free, and may help you, in the future…” 

Vader spoke more about Luke’s destiny — something about ruling the Galaxy, something about never trusting Palpatine… Then looked up at him as if gathering his last strength. 

“Tell your mother,” he began in a shaky voice that was barely registered by the vocoder, “Tell her that I…”

And then Luke’s turmoil was interrupted by a familiar pang — one that he was unable to place, just until now. He felt a flicker of Vader… no, of Anakin… alive and forever burning, trying to break free. Luke knelt down, and placed both hands on the Sith’s armored shoulders. Vader looked at him, startled. Weak on his knees, he couldn’t help but lean into Luke’s touch. It took awhile for him to stop shaking, and to slow down his breathing. 

“You will tell her yourself.” Luke spoke in a shaky voice. “You said that my mother chose Skywalker… Perhaps you can, too.”

“Son…” Vader whispered, and Luke’s breath hitched. 

“Lean on my shoulder, Father” he offered, looking away, “and when you are ready, let me help you up.”

Vader stared at him as if witnessing a miracle, but after a few minutes of silence, having recovered his strength, he nodded to Luke, and with some help, rose to his imposing height without further incident. Luke made sure that he never broke contact, then suddenly, Vader lifted a hand and brushed it gently against Luke’s cheek, as if to wipe away his tears. 

“You are just like her,” he whispered, barely audible, “I didn’t deserve her, either.” 

Luke looked away, unable to find a response, and part of his mind, the traitorous part, wished his father’s hand had lingered just a touch longer. 

They crossed the meadow slowly, sensing each other’s unease, alarm, and something else too. Something new-found and precious Luke didn’t dare ponder, as the tree grew larger and brighter in the distance. 

* * *

The Guardian observed from the shadows, as she had many times before, the two humans approaching the marble steps in quiet reverence. The younger one knelt before the weeping branches of the Soul Tree, and reached out a hand, keeping his other hand on the dark one, shielding him. The leaves extended from their branches like a cloud of light, and enveloped the boy. The other human, the trespassing Sith, stood ramrod straight, not daring to move. After an eternal whisper, the light swarm let go of the boy, and he gasped, bracing himself with one hand. The tall one bent down to help him, his concern echoing through the Force. 

“Luke…” he boomed, and the boy turned his gaze towards him, with a serene smile.

“My mother,” the boy whispered and took a deep breath. “She loves me. And she loves you.” 

The shock of the tall, black-clad man rippled through the serene air of the temple. He wanted to place both hands on his son's shoulders, and draw him close.

“She knows. That there is still good in you.” 

The Dark One faltered, and the light of another man began streaming through the cracks of his armored prison. 

“And there is more. But she wishes to tell you personally.” 

The Guardian extended a hand towards the being that was perhaps no longer Sith, then motioned for him to approach the tree. Vader followed as if in a trance. As he lowered himself to his knees, and the light of the tree enveloped him, she turned to the boy: “He may live if you let go of him now.”   
  


* * *

**Three Standard Days Later**   


  
“Unidentified craft, state your purpose here.” 

“Certainly, unidentified craft. Right after you state yours.” 

“ _I_ am in a ship two standard categories above your own. Regulation X-14C from the Imperial Naval Codex states that…” 

“Is quoting Imperial regulations supposed to impress me? As you undoubtedly are aware, you are in a civilian vehicle, so that regulation doesn’t even apply. Now skip the posturing and stand aside. We are to begin landing procedures.” 

Admiral Piett sputtered, but moved his craft out of the way because the other ship — which had seen better days — approached on a collision course without its captain batting an eyelash. Apparently, to his dismay, someone else had received Lord Vader’s call for help. And they were, clearly, not Imperial.

Piett sighed, then followed the extrapolated coordinates from the decoded message to land his own craft right next to the obnoxious interloper. He hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours, trying to organize this escapade discreetly, and for the majority of that time, he had subsisted on pure caf. And now, this! 

How the owner of the other ship had managed to decode the second part of Lord Vader’s message remained a complete mystery to him, one he couldn’t wait to figure out. But right as he exited the landing ramp, he found his chest pressed against a blaster rifle held by a very familiar face. The Admiral, very glad for having chosen to complete his disguise with a civilian outfit, still paled. 

“Now, you will state your purpose, or you can spend the rest of your time here tied up inside your ship… What was your name again?” 

“I am… ah, Primus Fayett.” He just ought to keep his head cool, and with some luck, he would never have to explain to Lord Vader how Leia Organa had escaped from Bespin, “And who might you be?” 

The princess cocked her head to the right, clearly suspicious. In the end, she seemed to let his lie slide.

“You can call me Dalla.”

Piett smirked. He knew from highly classified intelligence reports that “Amy Dalla” was an infamous Rebel alias, long suspected by the ISB to serve as Princess Leia’s favorite secret identity, which she reserved only for special occasions. He would be very happy to confirm that fact once he returned to the fleet. 

“How did you get these coordinates?” the Admiral demanded, unable to suppress his curiosity. 

Princess Leia quickly glanced at her astromech droid, then responded in an even tone. 

“I would ask you that same question, but it would be rather pointless, don’t you think? Now, why are you here?” 

“If you must know, I received a distress signal.” 

“How interesting.” She cast him a cold glare, “And do you know who you are here to rescue?” 

“Just as well as you do.” 

Leia was about to march the man back to his ship and find a way to restrain him, when she took note of the enhanced scanner he held in his hand, a fine piece of equipment together with his large backpack, hiking boots, and a military green sun hat. Leia scoffed. She had recognized him from intelligence reports, of course. Apparently, Vader’s new Fleet Admiral had come prepared. 

If he had recognized her, he kept it under wraps. And, he could prove useful in the search. 

“We don’t have time for games, Mr. Fayett. We will resume our search, and you can proceed with yours. Just stay out of our way.” 

“That might be difficult, Ms. Dalla. I am scanning two life forms, about five clicks from here, that are in each other’s company. I assume you have confirmed these findings.” 

The Princess paused, then apparently received a confirmation from her droid. 

“Then, by all means - make yourself useful with that fancy scanner, and lead the way!” 

_Oh, I will_ , thought the Admiral. _And when we reach our quarry, you shall regret it_. 

“Perhaps you can put your blaster down first?” 

She smirked and placed one hand on her hip, without lowering the blaster. The sheer arrogance of her posture reminded him of someone he had a hard time placing at the moment. 

“Only if you walk ahead of me, Mr. Fayett.”

Piett sighed, and they proceeded through the forest in eerie silence, at a much slower pace than he would have liked — the Princess was adamant that the droid’s wish to be a part of the expedition was respected. By the time they had made it halfway to the life readings, the morning suns were about to reach their zenith, the Admiral was very thirsty, and not even the wind rustled the leaves to break the irritating silence. 

The Princess suddenly stopped behind him. 

“Wait...” she whispered, in a worried voice.

“What is it?” 

“Do you hear it?” She had her gaze set intently on the lake. 

“Hear what?” 

“A woman, singing… It reminds me of…” Leia caught a glimpse of his shocked expression, then shook her head, “Never mind. Let’s keep moving.” 

Piett shrugged and moved on, but did not fail to notice that the Princess frequently stared over the lake, as if listening intently to something only she could hear.

* * *

They reached their destination long after both suns had already set, and they were met with an unwelcome surprise. Piett shook his scanner, but while the readings indicated that the two life forms were right on top of them, there was no trace of anyone to be seen. 

“Please don’t tell me we are lost,” Princess Leia turned to the Admiral.

“We shouldn’t be,” he muttered, “It’s just that…” 

Suddenly, a trail of white stepping stones emerged in front of them, as if strung from the lights of a rift into another world. Piett and the Princess exchanged startled looks, then she shrugged, and pointed towards this new development. 

“Seems like someone is expecting us. Shall we?” 

Piett sighed, but with nothing better to suggest, took the path ahead of the Rebel and her R2 unit. 

What they saw at the end of the path left the Princess dumbfounded.

Luke appeared asleep, curled on a bench some short distance away from a glimmering tree with weeping branches. He was wrapped in a familiar, dreaded black cloak. On the steps before the tree knelt no other than Darth Vader, oblivious to his surroundings. Tellingly, he was missing a cloak. And in front of Vader, enveloped in light, floated a figure she recognized all too well.

Leia knew the secret. She had been instructed by her adoptive family, with the strictest, more dire warnings, never to reveal it, or dig deeper into it. But when she stopped just a few steps behind Vader, she blurted out before thinking matters through: “Might I ask why you appear to be conversing with… a hologram… of my mother, Lord Vader?” 

Vader spun around as if stung, as Luke jumped up from his position, wide awake. The image of Padmé Amidala faded in the background as Vader swift stepped away from the tree. Luke stared at Leia with relief, but then his eyes widened as he apparently processed what she’d just said. 

Admiral Piett was no less taken back, staring slack-jawed at the cloak-wrapped Rebel figure now by Vader’s side.

Vader just stood there, frozen, even his respirator gone quiet for a few moments. Piett finally regained his senses and saluted with a semi-audible, “My lord”, but his greeting (and presence) went entirely unnoticed. Vader’s attention was zoomed in on Organa like the gravity well of a massive black hole. 

“You…” he began, his voice wavering in such an uncharacteristic fashion that the Admiral started, “You were adopted by the Organas…”

Leia placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin. 

“What of it, Lord Vader?” 

Vader took a few measured steps forward, and moved to raise a hand, but stopped just short of reaching for her. 

“Leia…” he began, but any words meant to follow dissipated before they made it out of the vocoder. 

“I don’t believe we are on a first-name basis, _my lord_.” She looked at Luke, perplexed, but he just stared back at her and Vader with a misty-eyed expression that sent shivers through her spine, “What, in the name of all Sith Hells, is going on here!” 

Piett decided to interject. 

“Perhaps _now_ you should lower your blaster, Your Highness!” At this point, he felt no need to keep up the charade. 

Leia swirled to face him, her eyes alight. 

“Oh, do be silent, Admiral!”

It was then that Lord Vader finally noticed him. 

“Admiral Piett. Please refrain from antagonizing _my daughter_ , for she is a hellion and we clearly share a temper. And do extend your greetings to my son — he is the kind one in the family.” 

“Your… WHAT?” Leia cried, and Luke rushed forward to place himself between Vader and his sister. 

Piett looked up, as if imploring any available deity for help, caught one glimpse of the violet skies, then the exhaustion of the past... six months... caught up with him, and he collapsed on the ground under the weight of that damned backpack. 

When he came around, he found Luke Skywalker… Lord Vader’s son… hovering above him and offering some water. Piett took the canister, stammered a “thank you”, and regained enough sense to overhear Lord Vader addressing his daughter nearby: “That is certainly a possibility. You have been trained for this all your life, have you not?” 

He heard something about a transfer of power. Then finally, Lord Vader settled his heavy gaze on him, and spoke: “Admiral. I have just altered my plans regarding the future of the Empire. I was misled about the death of my family. This changes a great deal about my position on the current state of affairs in this Galaxy. As you are aware, both of my children are presently Rebels, and I am beginning to believe that some of their reasoning is not completely irrational. You can stand with me, or you can leave now, and I will not question your decision — until, of course, we inevitably meet on the battlefield.” 

Piett remained stunned, clutching Skywalker’s water canister, still trying to align his forty-something-year-old perception of the Universe with the events that were currently unfolding before his eyes.

“I am talking either revolution or high treason here, Admiral - depending on whose perspective you choose to take.” 

Piett gulped, and took Skywalker’s offered hand to rise up and steady himself. He glanced at this boy — the one who, having freshly graduated from being a moisture farmer, blew up the Death Star at the tender age of nineteen. Then at Princess Leia — the infamous, indomitable Rebel leader, who had wracked the Empire’s plans ever since she had emerged on the political scene at sixteen. It figured. It all made twisted sense. For how else could it be? He sighed, and, trying to buy himself a few more seconds, looked around for his hat. The boy, Skywalker, swiftly picked it up from the ground and handed it to him. 

There was no escaping this man, and his family. Piett looked up at Vader, shrugged, and with his most professional tone, chose which Galactic stage to play out the next forty years of his life on. 

“Let it be a revolution then, my lord.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kitt, please accept my apologies (just not the way Vader does 😅) for my tardiness.  
> ❤️❤️❤️And... Thank you for writing Force Bond - the story that has given me so much joy over the years! ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> The song for this chapter, with a very fitting title, is ["You Know Nothing"](https://open.spotify.com/track/6dvCGUBRfVBhWfhJIbIqTu?si=H9IbKzsFSXCv2kFvrmjzbw) by Ramin Djawadi.


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